Apparatus for helical winding of a plurality of threads

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR WINDING A NUMBER OF THREADS HELICALLY, A THREAD GUIDE FOR USE WITH A MANDREL SURROUNDED BY AND COAXIAL WITH THE THREAD GUID AND ADAPTED FOR RELATIVE MOVEMENT AND AXIAL RECIPROCATION THEREBETWEEN, SAID THREAD GUIDE INCLUDING AT LEAST TWO CIRCUMFERENTIALLY CONTINUOUS ANNULAR GUIDE SURFACES A FIRST OF WHICH FACES AXIALLY IN A FIRST DIRECTION, AND A SECOND OF WHICH FACES AXIALLY IN A SECOND OPPOSITE DIRECTION, ONE OF THE GUIDE SURFACES BEING FORMED WITH CIRCUMFERENTIAL SLIT MEANS, MEANS TO SUPPLY FLUID RESIN TO THE SLIT MEANS, A SUPPORT FOR A NUMBER OF THREAD PACKAGES AND MEANS, INCLUDING SECOND GUIDE MEANS, TO DIRECT THREAD FROM PACKAGES CARRIED BY THE SUPPORT TOTHE FIRST THREAD GUIDE, THE SURFACES BEING EACH TANGENT TO ONE OF A PLURALITY OF PLANES NORMAL TO THE AXIS OF THE MANDREL, THE RADIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN THE RADIALLY INNERMOST AND OUTERMOST OF THE GUIDE SURFACES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THOSE OF THE PLANES THAT ARE FURTHEST APART AXIALLY, AND THE SECOND GUIDE MEANS BEING ADJACENT TO THE PLANES, WHEREBY THREADS CAN BE LED INWARDS FROM SAID SECOND GUIDE MEANS TO THE MANDREL ALONG SINUOUS PATHS IN CONTACT WITH GUIDE SURFACES THE INNERMOST CIRCUMFERENTIALLY CONTINUOUS SURFACE BEING THE MOST INWARD GUIDING MEANS OF THE THREAD GUIDE.